Mine-car wheel and axle.



' F. A. SWEET. MINE CAR WHEEL AND AXLE.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ov. 111111 4. f 4 19141999Q, l PatentedJune 8,1915.

A TTORNE Y.

i' F1a.nnnlaicifi a. SWEET," or SALTA LAKEcITE'UT-AH.

Minn-cen WHEEL AND Axtnl To all whom t may concern: l

Be it known' that I, FREDERICK A. SWEET,

fa citizen'of the United States, andl a resident-v of Salt Lake City,rinthe co'untyfof Salt Lake and the State of Utah,.have invented `certainnew anduseful Improvements 'in Mine-Car Wheels and `Axles,` of which thefollowing, together with the accompanying drawings, constitute afull,.clear, andexact speciiication, which .will enable others skilledin-the art to'which the invention appertains and axles, and its objectiswto: securelyhold 1.5"

e meansv for retaining the grease without' to make and use the same.

My-invention relatesgtonmin'e car wheels the wheeljonthe axle with aminimum lof 'frictionbetweenV thewheel hub and the axle fastening.

Further objects are to providev 'a reservolr for grease, 'means for-readily allowing'jthe inJection ofy grease into thereservoir andleakage. f

The features upon which l desire protec tlon are summarized inthe'appended'claims.

In vthe drawings, Figure 1, showsl a section of my improved wheel with apart of the axle in elevation, the section being taken on the Vline 1`1in Fig. 2, and showing also a part ofthe car body. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the wheel, with the hub taken in secy tion on the line 2-2in. Fig. 1. Fig. 3 yis a fragmentary' view looking in the direction ofthe. arrowA in' Fig- 1, andshows a detail.

While the' drawings illustrate a wheel of the ordinary r0llerbearingtype,l my inven tion is also applicable to. wheels of many differentdesigns. Referring to the drawings, (4) represents the shank of the axleand has'near its outer extremity a groove servingas a ball race, .andformed by the cylindrical neckv (5) and Athe'conical surfaces (6) and(7), 'the axle `terminating in the knob (8). -Mounted on made-of steel,and of which theremay be any suitable number, serve to retain the iPatented, J une 8', 1915. Application led November 28, 1911.4. SerialNo. 874,383. I

wheel on the axle, by virtue of the inner face of groove l(16) bearingthrough ftheballs (17) against 4the conical surface (7).

vThe balls (17) are dropped into the ball race through aA circularopening in the hub (10), normally closedL by the threaded plug (18).

The 'plug' (18) is set with its centerline perpendicular to the :tangentplaneV passing through an element of the outer conical surface of thegroove (16). The upper part of- .the plug'` (18) is threaded, and at(18a) has a shoulder'whi'ch 'bears on a corresponding plug (18)'1extendsdownward from the shoulder (18a) r and its lower face. is-concaved orcupped 'as shown at (18h) The radius of the conca-vity (18h) should be-suiiicient to form Vthe continuation of the tangent circle lying in theouter, conical Asurface of the- .groove (1.6) and passingthroughthepoints contacted by the balls (17). The shoulder (18a) vserves to make agrease tight joint and atl the same time forms a stop so -that theconcave surfacel (18") can always be brought to the same positionrelatively to the raceway (16). In its upper surface, plug -seat vformedin the Ahub (10). The bodyof has the 'square countersunk hole (18) to beventing the plugv (18), from ,becoming unscrewed accidentally due tothe'vibra-tion'of theV wheel when it is' in motion. The entire vacantspace on the inside of vhub (1(0) and'around the axle (4) forms' a.`reservoir for grease, which may be' filled by ,removing plug vl(18) andthe greasemay be efectually retained therein bythe ring- (19) which istightly pressed -into the bore of the hub and which is. closely packedaround the axle, preferably with felt. h. It will be noticed in Fig. l,that the space 12) between the -knob and the vInside face ofthe head 11)is less than the space .(13) between the -hub (10). and the sleeve (14)which latter is rigidly attachedy to the car body (15). It will-benotlced also .that the space between the balls (17) and the greater thanthe space (12). This arrangelment, in "operation, compels all thethrustof the axle against the wheel hub to betaken up, first, in theoutward direction, by the bearing of the end of the axle against theconical surface (6) isv considerably'4 .concerns the axle `fastening,

inner face of the head (11) and, second, in the inward direction, (whengoing through frogs and switches) by the bearing through the balls (17)of the conical surface against the inner conical surface of Vthe groove(16).` Furthermore, the weight of the car, Itransmitted through the axleis taken up entirely in the bore of the wheel, thus allowing a free andunimpaired rotation of the wheel on the axle, so far as or -hubretaining, device. f

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new, is:

1. In combination, a wheel hub comprising a bored body and acounterbored head integral therewith, the said head having a suitablydisposed annular groove, internally thereof; with an axle having its endspaced somewhat apartfrom the face of the said head, the said axlecomprising a shank, a cylindrical neck adjacent the shank, a 4terminalknob adjacent, and of larger diameter than, the neck, the end of theknob being adapted to bear against the inside of the head, and apluralityrof balls adapted in conjunction with the said head and thesaid knob to retain the said wheel hub on the axle.

ing a bored body and 'a counterbored head and the said knob to retainthe said wheel hub on the axle, and means for allowing the introductionof the said balls into the said groove,

3. In a wheel hub and axle, having coacting ball-retaining grooves, thecombination with the said hub, of a suitable plug removably held in acorresponding opening leading through the said hub into the saidgrooves; a protruding key suitably disposed in the said plug, andprojections on the said hub adapted to engage the said protruding keyfor the purpose specified.

In testimonythat I claim this invention as my own, I have signed thisspecilication in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

FREDERICK A. WEET.

Witnesses:

G. S. PAYNE, P. H. MALLINCKRODT.

